View at The Shard – BuyaGift.com

The smartbox is the perfect gift as it allows you to choose from over 500 experiences across the UK. (Particulaly good if you are stuck at what to get someone, let them do the choosing!). There’s no fear of buying something they already have or don’t like as there an activity suitable for everyone.

As there were so many activites to choose from it took us quite a while to decide which experience to go for as there are so many including Afternoon tea, Pamper days, meals for two, hotel breaks and activites such as Thames cruise, segway rally or wine tasting. There were even a lot of local activites to us just a walk away in Maidstone. However we finally decided to go for The View from The Shardas this was an experience we had wanted to do for a while, being such an iconic landmark.

The good thing with using the voucher for The View from The Shardis that you do not need to book in advance so do not need to commit to a day or time. You claim the voucher online and then show this on arrival. (I would recommend phoning in advance to to let them know you are coming and explain you have the voucher as we had a slight trouble with this at a first.)

There are cheaper ways to get a view of London however The View from The Shardis such an amazing experience and the best view you will get of the capital as the Shard is London’s highest viewing platform and the European Union’s tallest building.

When entering the shard you must go through airport-style security where you have a body scan and any bags are scanned, it’s good to know you are well looked after!

At the top we enjoyed a glass of Lanson each. Priced at £10 it was a lot cheaper than I had imagined for The View from The Shard(and compared to the bars in the building!)

The perfect way to enjoy the fantastic views.

To get to the top you take two lifts up to the viewing platform on level 69. We were blown away (almost literally as it was on a super windy day) by the stunning views. There were interactive touchscreen telescopes so we could explore the capital in detail, it names the main buildings and also shows you how it would look like in day, night, sunrise and sunset. (We could even see how Tower Bridge looked during the Olympics summer 2012!)

The Shard dominates the beautiful London skyline and from here you will get to view this skyline from a different perspective.

We went on a grey and rainy day but were still able to see London’s top landmarks such as St Paul’s Cathedral, The Gherkin and Tower Bridge.

The Shard is 224m (800ft) above the ground! It is also apparently twice the height of any other viewing platform in Britain. Even those who are scared of heights have said that they didn’t find the experience frightening at all. It was surprsingly not terrifying at all but quite calming – this was probably because we were so disrracted by the impressive views.

You also have the chance to go to level 72 to the open-air viewing gallery which was very windy (as you can tell) but an unforgettable experience.

Here you can gaze up to the top of the building, this is exposed so guests can absorb the atmosphere and sounds of London.

There is no time restriction during your visit so you can stay as long as you like to take advantage of the stunning views.